LETTER: A vicious circle

Published: Friday, November 8, 2013 at 04:27 PM.

This is in response to “Just not true” (letter, Oct. 12), whose writer dissected state Rep. Matt Gaetz’s supposed “rampage on the ethanol industry.” He contends this is a stunt to garner votes.
If the writer would talk to anyone who has a carbureted boat, motorcycle, etc., he might learn otherwise.
He says there are no subsidies. Apparently, the folks at Texas A&M University weren’t told that. Texas A&M researchers have estimated that diverting corn to make ethanol forces Americans to pay $40 billion a year in higher food prices. On top of that, it costs taxpayers $1.78 in subsidies for each gallon of gasoline that corn-based ethanol replaces, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Simply put, we’re using half the nation’s corn output to make ethanol. Were it apples instead of corn, the price of apples would go up dramatically, as has corn, which is up a whopping 60 percent since June. This translates into an uptick of 40 cents a gallon at the pump.
Yes, a drought exacerbated this, but that’s the point — you shouldn’t put food in fuel! Especially food that feeds livestock, which we pay more for at the grocery store. Talk about a vicious circle.
Finally, on a personal note, on a recent Harley trip from Destin to South Dakota I had to stop frequently to fill up. Much to my surprise, in Nebraska (think corn) regular fuel was more expensive than premium. Store owner after store owner explained: “The regular doesn’t have ethanol. Folks around here don’t run it in their farm equipment.”
How about them apples?

— TIM KRUEGER
Destin

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This is in response to “Just not true” (letter, Oct. 12), whose writer dissected state Rep. Matt Gaetz’s supposed “rampage on the ethanol industry.” He contends this is a stunt to garner votes.
If the writer would talk to anyone who has a carbureted boat, motorcycle, etc., he might learn otherwise.
He says there are no subsidies. Apparently, the folks at Texas A&M University weren’t told that. Texas A&M researchers have estimated that diverting corn to make ethanol forces Americans to pay $40 billion a year in higher food prices. On top of that, it costs taxpayers $1.78 in subsidies for each gallon of gasoline that corn-based ethanol replaces, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Simply put, we’re using half the nation’s corn output to make ethanol. Were it apples instead of corn, the price of apples would go up dramatically, as has corn, which is up a whopping 60 percent since June. This translates into an uptick of 40 cents a gallon at the pump.
Yes, a drought exacerbated this, but that’s the point — you shouldn’t put food in fuel! Especially food that feeds livestock, which we pay more for at the grocery store. Talk about a vicious circle.
Finally, on a personal note, on a recent Harley trip from Destin to South Dakota I had to stop frequently to fill up. Much to my surprise, in Nebraska (think corn) regular fuel was more expensive than premium. Store owner after store owner explained: “The regular doesn’t have ethanol. Folks around here don’t run it in their farm equipment.”
How about them apples?